Best Security System Providers for Cannabis Dispensaries (2026): National, Regional and Independent Integrators Compared

Updated October 2026. Every provider fact below was checked against that company's own website on October 3, 2026, and linked. We are an independent quote service: we do not install, monitor, or sell security equipment.

Short answer: The best security provider for a cannabis dispensary is a licensed commercial security integrator that has already passed cannabis inspections in your state, not the one with the biggest brand. Judge candidates on documented dispensary work in your state, the installer license your state requires, UL-listed 24/7 monitoring, one scope covering video, access, intrusion, and fire, and a quote that itemizes installed cost, monthly monitoring, term, and equipment ownership. Then get three comparable bids from cannabis-experienced firms before you sign.

We publish this roundup as Commercial Security Pros, a free, independent quote-comparison service for commercial security systems. Contractors in our network pay us for introductions; we take nothing from the price you pay and we never install or monitor. That independence is why this page can name strengths and limits of every company below, including those we are often compared against.

How we compared dispensary security companies

Dispensary security is a regulatory specification first and a theft problem second. A provider that is excellent at protecting a jewelry store can still fail a cannabis licensing inspection on camera placement, retention days, or alarm signal routing. So we scored each company on the criteria that actually decide a dispensary bid:

None of the companies below publish dispensary pricing, so we do not attribute prices to any of them. The cost section uses our own sourced planning ranges instead.

The shortlist, grouped by type

Three different kinds of company get lumped into one list. They are not interchangeable:

• Regional and cannabis-specialist installers design, install, service, and usually monitor the system themselves, in a defined territory.
• National integrators do the same across many states, with national-account teams built for multi-state operators (MSOs).
• Software platforms such as Brivo and Solink sell cloud access control or video analytics through installers. They are something your integrator deploys, not a substitute for one.

Regional and cannabis-specialist security installation companies

DGA Security

DGA Security is best for dispensaries and cultivators in the New York, New Jersey, and wider Northeast market that want one firm for intrusion, video, access control, fire, and monitoring, with the heaviest credential stack on this list. It also runs a national-accounts program for operators that expand beyond its home territory.

DGA's credentials page lists UL listings for central-station burglar alarm service, TMA Five Diamond monitoring centers, NICET-certified fire technicians, FDNY approval as a central station, and license numbers in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and California. Its cannabis page adds daily system-health reports and environmental monitoring for cultivators, and a separate national-accounts page claims coverage in all 50 states with a dedicated account manager. Ask: which work outside the Northeast is self-performed versus subcontracted.

Bay Alarm

Bay Alarm is best for California cannabis retailers and growers that want a single regional firm for cameras, access control, burglar and fire alarms, 24/7 monitoring, and guard response, with branches across California plus Phoenix and the Seattle area. Its published guide to California's Department of Cannabis Control rules signals real familiarity with that state's inspection.

Its cannabis page covers video, remotely managed access control for limited-access areas, fire alarms with monitoring, 24/7 alarm monitoring, and its own security agents for alarm response. It has also published a plain-English summary of California DCC security requirements. State license numbers for California, Arizona, and Washington appear on its locations page. Ask: for the UL listing of the specific central station that will hold your account.

Per Mar Security Services

Per Mar Security Services is best for Midwest dispensaries in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, and neighboring states that want systems and guard services from one regional company with its own UL-listed, TMA Five Diamond monitoring center. It is a strong fit where a state requires continuous monitoring and the operator wants that monitoring in-house.

Its dispensary page lists video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, and guards, and the company states that its monitoring center is UL-listed and TMA Five Diamond certified. Branch offices span twelve states, from Wisconsin to Texas, per its locations page. Ask: which Illinois license will appear on the permit, since Illinois names the installer license in its dispensary rules.

Alliant Security

Alliant Security is best for Mountain West operators in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and eastern Washington who want a regional integrator for video, access, intrusion, and monitoring rather than a national account. It is a smaller firm, so verify the monitoring arrangement and state references more carefully than you would with a national.

Founded in 2004, it reports more than 400 commercial sites under service and keeps a cannabis page promising state-compliant systems. Its about page lists video, access, intrusion, and monitoring. Its public pages do not state who operates the central station or its UL status. Ask: who monitors the account, and for two Colorado or Nevada dispensary references.

Sonitrol (franchise network)

Sonitrol is best for dispensaries that want verified intrusion detection, where audio and video confirmation of a break-in reduces false alarms and gets police dispatched faster. Because it is a franchise network, the right way to evaluate it is as the local franchisee that would hold your contract, not as a single national company.

Its cannabis page lists role-based access control for vaults and grow rooms, video surveillance, and centralized management tools. The important nuance: Sonitrol is a franchise network operating in more than 180 North American cities, so installation quality and the monitoring arrangement depend on the local franchisee. Ask: which franchise owns your territory, which central station it uses, and that franchise's own cannabis references.

AISG (American Integrated Security Group)

AISG is best for cannabis operators in New York, Texas, Florida, and California who want a systems integrator that designs video, access control, intrusion, and perimeter security as one project, with live monitoring and cloud storage layered on. It suits larger dispensaries and grow facilities more than a small storefront.

Its cannabis page claims service throughout the United States with regional offices in those four states, and describes video, secure-room access control, intrusion, perimeter security, live monitoring, cloud storage, and analytics. Monitoring-center certifications are not stated on the page. Ask: whether monitoring is in-house or contracted, and which office will service your site after install.

Guardian Protection

Guardian Protection is best for single and multi-site dispensaries that want one national brand covering intrusion, video, access control, and fire alarm under a single 24/7 monitoring contract. It is the most complete single-vendor package among the national dealers, though its cannabis page speaks to the category generally rather than to any state's rules.

Its cannabis page lists video surveillance with analytics-driven detection, intrusion alarms with 24/7 professional monitoring, card-reader access control for restricted areas, and UL-compliant fire alarms with sprinkler monitoring, installed by licensed and bonded technicians, many of them NICET-certified. The page advertises U.S. coverage, links to a multi-site program, and lists Brivo, Johnson Controls, DMP, and Axis among its technology partners. Ask: for dispensary references in your state and whether your site falls inside its self-performed service footprint.

Not the same company: Guardian Alarm (guardianalarm.com) is a separate Michigan-based firm, operating since 1930, with branches in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas. It has a strong dispensary case study with Lume Cannabis and displays UL and TMA Five Diamond monitoring badges, so it belongs on a Michigan or Ohio shortlist. Do not confuse the two when checking references.

National commercial security systems companies

A national integrator makes sense when you operate in more than one state and want one contract, one account manager, and one reporting platform. For a single storefront, you pay for that infrastructure without using it, and your service calls may be dispatched from farther away than a regional firm's truck.

Everon (formerly ADT Commercial)

Everon is best for multi-state operators who want one national integrator, one account program, and a single point of contact across every jurisdiction they hold a license in. It is the only national integrator on this list with a dedicated cannabis practice, and the one most likely to assign a team that has already handled another MSO's compliance program.

Formed when GTCR acquired ADT Commercial in 2023 (see Everon's history page), its cannabis practice is split into MSO and local-operator tracks, covering access control, intrusion, video, cash handling, fire alarm and suppression, and life safety, backed by a nationwide network of monitoring centers. Ask: for the minimum account size, and how local service is staffed in each of your states.

Securitas Technology

Securitas Technology is best for enterprise operators that already use Securitas guarding or want a global integrator's remote monitoring and SecureStat management platform behind a large portfolio. It publishes no dispensary-specific page, so treat cannabis experience as a branch-level question rather than a brand-level one.

As of October 2026 its industries list includes retail, healthcare, and banking but no dedicated cannabis page, so cannabis experience will vary by branch. Ask: for the local branch's dispensary references before assuming the national brand carries state-specific knowledge.

Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is best for large cultivation and processing campuses where fire suppression, HVAC, and security are engineered together under one enterprise contract. For a dispensary storefront, you will more often meet JCI as the equipment brands inside another integrator's proposal than as the bidder itself.

It manufactures many of the brands your installer will quote (DSC, Kantech, Exacq, Software House, Tyco and Simplex fire) and acts as an integrator for enterprise accounts; we found no cannabis-specific industry page on johnsoncontrols.com as of October 2026. Ask: whether the branch self-performs small commercial work in your market.

Platforms that sell through installers

Buyers often put Brivo and Solink on the same shortlist as installers. That is a category error. Each is software (and some hardware) that a licensed integrator installs and that you then pay a subscription for. You still need an installer; the question is whether you want to specify the platform yourself.

Brivo (cloud access control and video)

Brivo is best for operators who want cloud-based access control and video across many sites, managed from one dashboard with site-by-site policies, and who are comfortable paying a per-door, per-camera subscription on top of installation. It is deployed by a certified installer, so it sits inside an integrator's bid rather than replacing it.

Its cannabis page emphasizes scaling from one to thousands of locations, on-premises plus cloud recording for retention compliance, and POS integration. Brivo sells through certified resellers, which is why it appears on Guardian Protection's partner list. Ask your installer: for the per-door and per-camera subscription cost over five years, and whether the account can transfer to another Brivo dealer if you change integrators.

Solink (video tied to POS data)

Solink is best for multi-store cannabis retailers whose main loss is internal (discount abuse, comps, and inventory discrepancies) and who want video tied to POS and seed-to-sale data without replacing their cameras. It is a loss-prevention and compliance layer, not an alarm system or a monitoring contract.

Its cannabis page describes cloud video linked to POS, seed-to-sale, and labor data, running on your existing cameras, with more than 375 integrations and compliance-check alerts such as confirming ID checks on every sale. It does not replace your alarm system or your monitoring contract. Ask: whether its recording setup meets your state's retention and frame-rate minimum on its own, or whether a local recorder stays in place.

Comparison table: cannabis security providers at a glance

Verified against each company's website, October 3, 2026. "Cannabis page" means a dedicated cannabis or dispensary page on the provider's own site.

Who can install a compliant dispensary camera and alarm system?

A compliant dispensary camera and alarm system should be installed by a licensed commercial security or low-voltage contractor with documented cannabis experience in your state. States license alarm installers through their own boards, and some cannabis regulations go further and name the license: Illinois, for example, requires installation by an Illinois-licensed private alarm contractor or agency. Verify the license number on the proposal against the state board before you sign, and check the state-by-state detail on our dispensary security requirements page, which covers retention days, camera specifications, access logs, and alarm rules so this page does not have to.

What a compliant dispensary quote must show

A dispensary security quote you can compare has to state installed cost, monthly monitoring rate, contract term with auto-renewal language, and who owns the equipment at the end of the term, each on its own line. Beyond those four, insist on:

• Camera schedule mapped to required areas. Every entrance, exit, POS, limited-access area, vault, recorder room, and parking or license-plate view your state names, drawn on a floor plan. Our video surveillance guide lists what the camera spec itself should include.
• Storage sized in days for your state. The quote must state the retention window and the recorder capacity that delivers it at the required resolution and frame rate.
• Alarm types named. Perimeter contacts, motion, glass-break, and panic, duress, and holdup devices, with the signal path (dual-path cellular plus IP) spelled out. See our commercial alarm systems page for the full scope list.
• Monitoring line priced as your state requires. Some states require continuous alarm and video monitoring; the quote should name the central station and its UL listing. Our alarm monitoring page covers what the monthly fee should include.
• Access control with exportable logs. A per-door breakdown, credential count, and how long audit logs are retained and exported for inspectors, as described in our access control guide.
• Backup power and failure alerts. Battery or UPS runtime for cameras, recorder, and panel, plus who is notified when a camera or recorder goes offline.

What a dispensary security system costs

As of October 2026, our planning range for a single dispensary storefront with 16 to 28 cameras, 90-day retention, four to eight controlled doors, and a monitored alarm with panic, duress, and holdup devices is $30,000 to $75,000 installed, plus $300 to $900 per month in recurring monitoring and software fees. A dispensary with attached cultivation or manufacturing runs $75,000 to $200,000 installed, and multi-site operators should plan $150,000 to $600,000 or more, per our cannabis dispensary cost figures.

Retention days drive the storage line more than anything else. Standard commercial IP cameras run roughly $500 to $900 installed each, but continuous 1080p recording consumes about 1 TB per camera per month, according to our security camera installation cost guide. Applied to a 16-camera dispensary, that is roughly 16 TB for Colorado's 30-day minimum and about 96 TB for Ohio's six-month rule, the example worked through on our dispensary requirements page. Two bids with different retention assumptions are not comparable; fix the number of days before anyone prices storage.

On the monitoring side, our business alarm monitoring cost guide puts basic commercial intrusion monitoring at $30 to $75 per month, $60 to $150 with supervised fire reporting, and $150 to $500 or more for video-verified or multi-site accounts. Commercial agreements commonly run 36 to 60 months with auto-renewal, so compare total cost over the full term, and treat an unusually low monthly rate as a signal that the equipment may be subsidized and remain the provider's property. For context on how dispensary numbers compare with ordinary commercial buildings, see our commercial security system cost guide.

Multi-location operators: standardizing one scope across stores

Yes, the same security system can be standardized across multiple dispensary locations, and doing so is the only way to get comparable bids. Write one scope document that fixes the camera schedule by area type (entry, sales floor, POS, vault, receiving, parking), the retention window set to the strictest state you operate in, the door list and credential policy, the alarm device list, and a single cloud or enterprise platform for video and access. Then let each bidder vary only the site-specific line items: cable runs, mounting, local permits, and the state-specific installer license. Everon, DGA, Sonitrol, and Guardian Protection each run national or multi-site account programs; Brivo and Solink are the platforms most often specified underneath them. For three or more licensed premises, our dispensary requirements page describes the per-site review station, single credential database, and central reporting that inspectors expect, and our monitoring cost guide notes that per-site monitoring rates are normally negotiated downward as sites are added.

Questions to ask any dispensary security company

These questions separate a cannabis-experienced integrator from a general alarm dealer who learned the rules from your RFP:

1. Which dispensaries have you taken through a state inspection in the last 24 months, and may we call two of them? Passed inspections in your state are the credential that matters; a national logo is not.
2. What is your license number for this state, and will it appear on the permit and the proposal? Check it with the state board yourself.
3. Who monitors the account, where is that central station, and is it UL-listed? If monitoring is subcontracted, get the subcontractor's name in the contract.
4. What is the contract term, does it auto-renew, and what is the cancellation window? Ask for the total of all payments over the full term.
5. Who owns the cameras, recorder, panel, and door hardware on day one and on exit? Proprietary panels and provider-owned recorders make switching integrators expensive.
6. Who receives the alert when a camera or recorder fails, and how fast? States such as California and Missouri require continuous recording, so an unnoticed recorder failure can be a violation even if nothing was stolen.
7. Can you export access logs and video in the format our state inspector requests, and who does that work?

How to get three comparable bids

Getting three bids instead of one is not about squeezing price. It is the only way to see which of the four decisive lines (installed cost, monitoring rate, term, ownership) each company is quietly loading, and whether one bidder has sized your storage or camera count differently from the others. One quote gives you nothing to measure it against; five turns procurement into a part-time job.

Our process at Commercial Security Pros exists to make those three bids comparable. You describe the building once: systems needed, state, square footage, camera and door counts, retention window, and timeline. We route that scope to a small number of contractors who are licensed in your state (we verify the alarm or low-voltage license directly with the state board), insured by certificate, and experienced with dispensaries, and who actually service your area afterward. You know who they are before anyone contacts you, and because every bidder prices the same scope, the quotes line up: doors, cameras, retention, monitoring rate, term, and end-of-term ownership. The service is free to you; contractors pay us for the introduction, and we do not accept payment to influence who prices your building. The details are on our how it works and about pages, and you can start a dispensary quote request in about five minutes. We also cover other regulated building types on our industries page.

Commercial Security Pros is an independent quote-comparison service based in Denver, founded in 2019. We do not install, monitor, or sell equipment; we compare screened, licensed local contractors so dispensary operators can pick the one that has already passed inspection in their state at a price they can see in full.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best security system providers for a cannabis dispensary in 2026?

The best provider is a licensed integrator with passed cannabis inspections in your state. Strong regional candidates include DGA Security (Northeast), Bay Alarm (California), Per Mar (Midwest), Alliant Security (Mountain West), AISG (NY, TX, FL, CA), Guardian Alarm (Michigan and Ohio), and Guardian Protection and Sonitrol franchises nationally. Everon is the national integrator with a dedicated cannabis practice. Brivo and Solink are platforms your installer deploys, not installers.

Should a dispensary hire a national alarm company or a regional cannabis-experienced integrator?

For a single storefront, a regional integrator with dispensary inspections in your state is the natural fit, because you are not paying for national-account infrastructure and service is dispatched from a local branch. A national integrator such as Everon or Guardian Protection makes sense for multi-state operators who want one contract, one account manager, and one reporting platform across jurisdictions.

Who is licensed to install a compliant dispensary camera and alarm system, and does my state require a specific installer license?

A licensed commercial security or low-voltage contractor with documented cannabis experience should install the system. States license alarm contractors through their own boards, and some cannabis rules name the license; Illinois requires an Illinois-licensed private alarm contractor or agency. Verify the number on the proposal with the state board, and check your state's rules on our dispensary requirements page.

Which dispensary security providers cover video, access control, alarm, and 24/7 monitoring in one contract?

Bay Alarm, Guardian Protection, Guardian Alarm, and Everon list video surveillance, access control, intrusion alarms, fire alarm, and 24/7 monitoring on their cannabis pages. DGA lists video, access, intrusion, and monitoring on its cannabis page and runs a separate fire systems division; Per Mar, AISG, and Sonitrol list video, access, intrusion, and monitoring. Confirm in writing that monitoring is in-house and UL-listed rather than subcontracted.

What is the difference between a security installer and a platform like Brivo or Solink, and do I need both?

An installer is a licensed contractor that designs, installs, services, and usually monitors your system. Brivo (cloud access control and video) and Solink (video tied to POS data) are software platforms sold through installers and billed by subscription. You always need a licensed installer; you add a platform when you want cloud management across many sites or POS-linked loss prevention.

How much does a complete dispensary security system cost installed, and what does monitoring cost per month?

As of October 2026, a single dispensary storefront with 16 to 28 cameras, 90-day retention, four to eight controlled doors, and a monitored alarm runs about $30,000 to $75,000 installed and $300 to $900 per month in recurring fees. Basic commercial intrusion monitoring alone is $30 to $75 per month, rising to $150 to $500 or more for video-verified or multi-site accounts. Storage sized to your state's retention window is the line that most often doubles a quote.

What should a dispensary security quote include so I can compare bids from different providers?

Each bid should show installed cost, monthly monitoring rate, contract term with auto-renewal terms, and equipment ownership at the end of the term on separate lines, plus a camera schedule mapped to your state's required areas, storage sized in days, named alarm devices including panic, duress, and holdup, the central station and its UL listing, exportable access logs, backup power, and failure alerts.

Can the same security system be standardized across multiple dispensary locations, and which providers handle multi-state operators?

Yes. Write one scope that fixes the camera schedule by area type, the retention window at your strictest state's minimum, the door and credential policy, and a single cloud or enterprise platform, then let bidders vary only site-specific items. Everon, DGA Security, Sonitrol, and Guardian Protection run national or multi-site account programs; Brivo and Solink are the platforms most often specified beneath them.

What questions should I ask a security company to prove they have passed cannabis inspections before?

Ask which dispensaries they have taken through a state inspection in the last 24 months and for two reference calls in your state; ask for the state license number that will appear on the permit; ask who monitors the account and whether that station is UL-listed; and ask who owns the equipment on exit. A firm with real inspection history answers all four without hesitation.

Why should a dispensary get three bids instead of picking one security company?

Three bids on an identical scope expose where each company loads its price: a low installed cost offset by a 60-month monitoring term, a cheap monthly rate tied to provider-owned equipment, or storage sized for fewer days than your state requires. One quote gives you nothing to measure against. We exist to make those three bids comparable, at no cost to the dispensary.